Starting a new life in a new country can be tough, but Cherri-Lee Cheuk Wing is used to the challenge. Born in Hong Kong she moved to Canada aged 12, which kickstarted her love affair with travel. As an adult, she spent 10 years in various roles in London, Shanghai, and Dubai. Then, when her husband Jeff Ching was transferred with work, Qatar’s capital city of Doha was the next destination on her list. It was a place she knew nothing about at the time, but she decided it was time for a new adventure.
Without an established support network, the move was hard at first and made the couple reminisce about life back home in Hong Kong. “Arriving in Qatar, we were surprised to find a lot of people are in the same situation as us. They come to this new country and are keen to meet new people, but there are a lack of channels,” she says.
As Qatar’s fastest growing city, and Qatari nationals comprising less than 15% of the population, new residents have a great opportunity to make a real impact on the country. “When we first came to Doha four years ago, there wasn’t much going on,” says Cherri-Lee. “My husband said ‘Why don’t we just bring dragon boating here? The weather is amazing, it’s a fun sport, and it connects people.’” The idea was inspired by their experiences in Hong Kong, where hundreds of international teams descend upon the city to compete during the summer months.
At first, Cherri-Lee, whose father is a national dragon boating coach, wasn’t sure whether the sport would take off more than 6,000km away from Hong Kong in Doha. After all, it’s so connected with Chinese tradition. And with each boat requiring 20 paddlers, a drummer, and a steer, would they even have enough interested people to build a team?
Jeff suggested they spread the word on social media, and the pair invested in a dragon boat that they had shipped over. Despite their own love for the sport, they could never have imagined quite how popular it would be.
Paddling as one
“Dragon boating is a great team sport so my favorite moment is always watching the team growing so close,” says Cherri-Lee. “They work together towards the same goal.”
Ultimately, the only way to succeed is to sacrifice any individual agendas in favor of working together. “The key to winning this sport is not about one person,” she says. “It’s about how one team works together with 20 people. It’s not how strong you are, it’s how synchronized you are. When you win, you win as a team, not from one person’s effort.”
More than a hobby
The importance of teamwork is also something that has stuck with Cherri-Lee in her professional role as Corporate Team Assistant at Siemens, she says: “No matter what position you have, you always encounter teamwork.”
Hobbies are also a way to get valuable peace of mind after a busy day at work, allowing Cherri-Lee to come into the office with fresh perspectives. “I believe hobbies can always help people who are stressed at work; they’re something you can really feel,” she says.
New people, new traditions
The pair’s move to Doha has ended up having a positive impact on their lives and the lives of others, and dragon boats are now very much a familiar site in Doha. “There are no barriers in terms of culture, gender or age in this sport. If you’re physically fit enough, you can paddle, and if you commit to it and can work in a team, then you can join,” she says. “As soon as you’re on the boat, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re a paddler and you’ll paddle as one. It really brings a sense of community to the teams.”
It’s this sense of establishing a community that makes Cherri-Lee proud to run the Qatar Dragon Boat organization. Rather than feel like an outsider in a new country, she came up with an idea that has brought hundreds of people together. “It’s amazing,” she says, “because one thing about being an expat in Qatar is you never know how long you’re going to be in the country. We haven’t really felt like this is home, but we are proud that we’ve been able to build a community from scratch. We have created something for Qatar.”
Cherri-Lee Cheuk Wing is from Hong Kong and works at Siemens as a Corporate Team Assistant. She currently lives with her husband and their baby in Doha, Qatar. Find out more about working at Siemens.
Photography: Glynne Pritchard
